Napping-machine.



E PATENEED- EEE 1o, 1903. -H. s. GREENE. NAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 1902.

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` UNITED- STATES "PATENT OFFICE.y

I-IARRY S. GREENE, OF WOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO TIIE wooNsooKET NAPPING RHODE ISLAND.

MACHINERY COMPANY, OF VVOONSOCKET,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.1720,018, dated. February 10, 19Q3.

Application led July 31, 1902.

To all whom t mayconccrn:

Be it known that I, HARRY S. GREENE, a citi-` is not only tubular in form, but is contracted at intervals in its length to form the com-` paratively narrow waist portions usually desired in under-garments.

The invention Will be fully understood from the following description and `claims when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a view, partly in longitudinal vertical section and partly in elevation, of a portion of a napping machine constituting `the preferred embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2, a sectiontaken' in the plane indicated by thebroken line 2 2 of Fig. l looking in the direction indicated by arrow and With some of the parts partly broken away; Fig. 3, a detail section illustrating one means for checking the rotation of the retarding-roller which forms part of my improvements, and Fig. 4 a detail elevation of the same.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the several views of the drawings, referring to Which- A is the main frame of the machine; B, a transverse shaft journaled in suitable bearings in the frame; C, a napping-drum, which comprises opposite spiders o, fiXedly mounted on the shaft B, and a series of nappingrollers-il e. card-clothed or toothed rollersM b, disposed in a circle about the axis of shaft B and journaled in the spiders a; D, a tubular shaft which loosely surrounds the shaft B and is provided with a pulley c, designed to be connected by a band (not shown) with a suitable driving means or motor; E, a spurwheel carried by the tubular shaft and Serial No. 117,826. (No model.)

,.meshed with spur-pinions d on the nappingrollers b; F, a transverse feed-roller arranged l at one side of the napping-drum and preferably in a horizontal plane below that of the shaft B; G, a transverse guide-roller arranged adjacent to the roller F, and H a transverse feed-roller disposed at the opposite side of the napping-drum with reference to the rollers F and Gr.

All of the parts thus far described are of the ordinary construction and are operated in the usual manner-that is to say, the feedrollers F H are rotated by driving connections, which I have'deemed it unnecessary to illustrate, in the direction indicated by arrows to feed the cloth or material to be napped through the machine, and the napping-drum is rotated by means (not shown) in the direction indicated by arrow No. l in Fig. l, while the spur-wheel E is rotated in the direction indicated by arrow No. 2 in Fig. l to rotate the napping-rollers b in the direction of the small arrows thereon incident to the rotation of the drum. A

The nappingdrum shown and described perse forms no part of my invention, and I therefore desire it distinctly understood that any other suitable napping-drum may be employed without involving a departure from the scope of the invention.

My invention consistsin the provision in a cloth-nappin g machine of a transverse roller I, calculated to stretch the cloth in the direction of the width thereof-4. e. open the cloth out to its full width-and a transverse roller J, calculated to retard the feed or lengthwise movement of the cloth through the machine. In conjunction with the rollers I J a transverseguide-roller K is preferably employed, and said rollers I, J, and K are arranged intermediate of the feed-rollers F and Hand preferably above the napping-drum,as shown, for a purpose presently pointed out. As best shown in Fig. 2, the stretching-roller I is provided at opposite sides of its middle with oppositely pitched or inclined circumferential ribs e, the inner sides of which are beveled. Saidmribs are calculated incident to the rotation of the roller to stretch the cloth in the direction of its Width, or, in other Words, to open lthe cloth out to its full Width and prevent it from contracting in the longitudinal central portion of the machine. The retarding-roll J may be provided on its periphery with any means adapted to retard the clothsuch, for instance, as a layer of tin f, provided With apertures g. I also desire it understood that any suitable means may be employed for retarding the rotation of the roller .I or making the same rotate at a loWy rate of speed. For the purpose I have shown a brakeband L, Figs. 3 and 4, Which'is connected to the frame A and surrounds the roller at one end thereof and has its ends adjustably connected by a screw 77,.

According to the practice now in vogue tubular knit stock or material having contract- Ied portions at intervals is passed through an ordinary napping-machine in the same manner as a single thickness of cloth. When the tubular stock or material is thus passed through an ordinary napping-machine, the napping-rollers raise or teazel a nap upon the surface of the material with which they come in contact; but they do not contact with and produce a nap on all of the surface, this because as the tubular stock passes through, the under layer, being acted upon by the napping means,is stretched more than J[he upperlayer, with the result that the upper layer becomes loose and labby and forms large Wrinkles, which permit Wrinkles to form beneath them in the under layer, thus causing folds in the under layer, the inner sides of which folds cannot be reached by the napping-rollers. Frequently the Wrinkles formed in the tubular stock, as stated, are so large and heavy that the napping-rollers catch into them and tear the stock or goods. The contraction of the tubular stock or goods at intervals also tends to prevent the napping-rollers from acting against and producing a uniform nap on the surface of the stock or goods.

When a napping-machine is equipped With my improvements and a piece of tubular knit stock contracted at intervals is passed through the same in the manner shown in Fig. l, it will be seen that the roller J by retarding the upper layer of the stock or piece of goods suficiently to draw the same tight Will preclude the formation of Wrinkles in said upper layer, and consequently leave no place for Wrinkles to form in the under layer; also, that the stock or piece of goods will be held under uniform tension which cond uces to the proper napping thereof. It will further be seen that the roll I by stretching or opening out the stock or material in the direction of the Width thereof not only assures pouncing of the Whole surface of the stock at the contracted portions, but also at the comparatively wide portions, with the result that a uniform nap is produced on the stock from edge to edge.

The rollers I, J, and K are preferably placed above the napping-drum, as described, because the stock or material does not become stretched sufficiently at its first contact with the napping-rollers to cause trouble. It is when the stock or material is between the roller I and the feed-roller I-I that the difficulties mentioned incident to the napping of tubular knit material in an ordinary nappingmachine occur.

I have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of parts embraced in the present and preferred embodiment of my invention. in order to impart a full, clear, and exact understanding of the same. I do not desire. however, to be understood as confining myself to such specific construction and arrangement of parts, as such changes or modifications may be made in practice as fairly fall Within the scope of my claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

l. In a napping-machine, the combination of a napping-drum, means adjacent to the same for feeding two layers or thicknesses of stock, and means for retarding the passage of the outer of the layers or thicknesses of stock, and thereby preventing the formation of Wrinkles in the stock.

2. In a napping-machine, the combination of a nappingdrum, means adjacent to the same for feeding two layers or thicknesses of stock, means for retarding the passage of the o'uter of the layers or thicknesses of stock to prevent the formation of Wrinkles in the stock, and means for stretching the stock in the direction of its width.

3. In a napping-machine, the combination of a napping-drum, means adjacent to the same for feeding two layers or thicknesses of stock, a roller having a periphery adapted to retard the outer layer or thickness of the stock, and means for retarding the rotation of the roller so as to retard the passage of the outer layer or thickness of the stock.

4. In a napping-machine, the combination of a napping-drum, means adjacent to the same for feeding two layers or thicknesses of stock, a roller having a periphery adapted to retard the outer layer or thickness of the stock, means for retarding the rotation of the roller so as to retard the passage of the outer layer or thickness of the stock, and a second roller equipped with means for engaging and stretching the stock in the direction of the Width thereof.

5. In a napping-machine, the combination of a napping-drum, feed-rollers arranged at opposite sides of the same, a roller having a periphery adapted to retard the outer of tWo layers or thicknesses of stock on the drum, means for retarding the rotation of the roller so as to retard the passage of the outer layer or thickness of the stock, a second roller ar- ICO IIO

ranged adjacent to the retarding-roller, and my hand in presence of two subscribing Wityequipped with means for engaging and nesses.

stretching the stock in the direction of the width thereof, and a guide-roller for leading HARRY s' GREENE' 5 the stock from the napping-drum to the Witnesses:

stretching-roller. GEO. W. SPAULDING,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set EDGAR L. SPAULDING. 

